Decorating with Disney? Sounds like a home invasion of Mickey Mouse lamps, Goofy tables and princess pink something or the others. I’ve got nothing against adorable animation, but buying Disney décor for a home in which no small children reside strikes me as sad and, possibly, creepy.

A six-foot tall aluminum Christmas tree stood in my friends’ front window. Strung with sparkling white lights it shimmered like a distorted disco ball. It was meant to be ironic, I figured, crass commercialism as a beacon of hip.